City officials met in committee with firms Thursday to hash out plans for an overhaul of Macomb’s downtown area.

Jim Burke of Hutchison Engineering and Kent Massie of Massie Massie & Associates brainstormed with members of the public works committee about conceptual plans for an upcoming renovation to Macomb’s Courthouse Square under the city’s Downtown Revitalization Project.

Traffic and parking coordination was a major part of the discussion.

With so many points of entry into the square’s two traffic rings, 6th Ward Alderman Tim Lobdell said that navigating the area can be confusing.

“I don’t think there’s a clear understanding of how traffic works on the square,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of confusion about who has right-of-way.”

The possibility was floated that the city could couple each pair of roads that extend from the square’s four sides into continuous one-ways, but Lobdell said the change “probably wouldn’t be well received.”

Alderman-At-Large Dennis Moon said the square’s parking situation also poses a problem.

“There’s a lot of backing into each other,” he said, adding that drivers sometimes struggle to see oncoming traffic behind adjacent parked cars.

Lobdell said the square’s parking shortage puts a burden on business owners.

“If someone can’t find a place to park right in front of your store, they’re not interested,” he said. “I don’t know how we’re going to combat that.”

Burke said parking would be a major consideration in the concept of a plan.

“Parking is never an issue until the project is done,” he said. “When the ribbon is cut, everyone says, ‘Where’s all the parking?’ We’re aware that parking is particularly sensitive.”

The committee also discussed the possibility of widening the square’s sidewalk, allowing for more roadside landscaping and possibilities for outdoor displays and dining.

Burke said any additional sidewalk or crosswalk would have to be compliant with current ADA regulations. Some of the square’s infrastructure only meets older ADA standards, he explained, and was grandfathered in.

The committee went on to discuss future maintenance plans, design concepts and implementing feedback from the community.

Hutchison Engineering is scheduled to meet with city leaders to discuss conceptual plans on an ongoing basis until the final plan and cost estimate is due on July 15.